


Break The Ice

by Honeysworks



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: "Comedy", Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Alternate Universe - Skating, Boys Being Boys, First Dates, Getting Together, Locker Room, M/M, Prompt Fill, Strangers to Lovers, albus is a gay disaster but he's trying his best, also i know nothing about skating, i know nothing about hockey, scorbus fest, this fic is literally the opposite of a slow burn lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:47:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26000005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honeysworks/pseuds/Honeysworks
Summary: Prompt: Scorpius is a figure skater, Albus plays ice hockey. They train at the same ice rink. Albus finds himself looking for excuses to hang about in the locker room after training just so he can bump into Scorpius.
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter, Teddy Lupin & Albus Severus Potter
Comments: 7
Kudos: 69
Collections: Scorbus Fest 2020





	Break The Ice

**Author's Note:**

> I saw this prompt and came up with the idea of a Muggle AU where Albus and Scorpius are in University when they meet. I tried to make it quite light-hearted and a bit silly but I've never written anything like this before so idk.

Albus sighed wearily, picking up his gym bag and heading out of the locker room. He was the last one to leave today, owing to his coach who had made him tidy the equipment away at the end of their training session, and on top of that he had taken an extra long shower to soothe his aching muscles. The first day of training each Semester was always the hardest.

Exiting the boy's changing rooms, Albus glanced over the rink, and saw that the next session had already started. The hockey team were allotted two hours on weekdays to practice, and Albus knew that after them on the timetable this semester was figure skating practice. He could see a skinny blond boy doing some kind of warm-up exercise on the ice as an older woman, presumably his trainer, barked orders at him.

Despite his long time love of the ice (something which James often joked was because it matched his cold heart), he’d never seen figure skating in real life before, and found himself oddly fascinated by how gracefully the other boy moved across the ice. It was a far cry from the brutish force he usually saw in a hockey match, and Albus was impressed with how the boy made his movements seem effortless, almost like an elegant dance.

Not wanting to intrude on someone else’s lesson, Albus headed back to his apartment. Most of the hockey team lived in flats by the University, but Albus lived with his godbrother Teddy, who worked in the city so could afford a bigger place than Albus could ever hope to as a student.

Initially, Albus was apprehensive about moving in with Teddy, who was a few years older than him and had already graduated, but after living together for a while Albus had realised he was probably the more mature one between them. Without Albus’ cooking every day Teddy's diet would consist primarily of junk food and coffee.

Upon reaching their apartment, Albus dumped his bag and shoes in his room and headed to the kitchen to start preparing dinner. He was halfway through chopping some carrots when Teddy walked through the door. Without so much as a 'hello', he took one look at Albus' chopping board and whined.

"Vegetables? Again? Can't we have take-out just one night a week, Al?"

Albus looked up to see Teddy pouting like a six year old and rolled his eyes. "It'll do you good to eat at least one proper meal a day. And besides, last month you said you liked my vegetable soup."

Teddy walked over to the stove to inspect the pot that was starting to boil. "You're too freakishly healthy you know, Al. I thought most twentysomething year old guys were supposed to live off cheap lager and chips."

"No, you're thinking of James."

"Seriously, it wouldn't kill you to have a day off from cooking and have a Pizza every once in a while. There's barely an ounce of fat on you," Teddy pinched Albus' belly as if to punctuate his point.

"Oi, don't do that while I'm holding a knife,” Albus swatted Teddy away with his elbow, “and besides, there’s nothing wrong with being healthy. It’s nice being able to walk up more than two flights of stairs without running out of breath.”

“Now Albus, that was a personal attack,” Teddy gasped in mock offence, placing his hand on his heart and sighing theatrically, which made Albus laugh. Despite his blasé attitude, Teddy was a lot of fun to live with, he had to admit.

* * *

A day later, after another intense training session, Albus found himself leaving the Sports Centre with two of the other guys on his team: Finley, their captain; and Noah, who was the self-appointed comic relief of the team.

Noah was complaining loudly about an assignment he had been given on the first week of class and Finn was nodding along in agreement.

“What’s wrong, Al?” Asked Finn, noticing Albus was spacing out.

“I feel like I’m missing something,” Albus mused.

“Is it your dignity?” Noah, ever the comedian, could not resist the opportunity for banter.

“Nah, I lost that when I decided to be seen in public with you two,” Albus’ deadpan response had them both cracking up.

“Since when did you fancy yourself as a comedian?”

“At least I don’t _actually_ fancy myself,” Albus gave Noah a light shove, “I’ve seen the way you look at yourself in the mirror with your shirt off in the gym.”

“He’s got a point you know,” came Finn.

“Pfft, you guys are just jealous that I have the best body,” Noah flicked his hair dramatically.

“Now that is a quality joke,” Finn said, which had all three of them laughing.

Even though they were constantly trying to one-up each other with their witty put-downs, they were some of Albus’ best friends on the team, and he knew they would always have his back if he needed them.

Suddenly, Albus remembered what it was that he had forgotten, and paused in his tracks.

"I’ve just remembered, I forgot to pick up my wallet from my locker when we left.” Albus said, checking all his pockets to make sure he hadn’t accidentally misplaced it. “I'll see you guys tomorrow, I’ll just head back and grab it."

Albus said goodbye to the other two and jogged back to the ice rink, heading for the boy's changing rooms. As soon as he arrived, however, it struck him that the door was access controlled, so he needed his ID card to open it. The only problem was his card was in his wallet.... On the other side of the door.

"Ah dammit, I'm such an idiot," Albus muttered to himself. It looked like he would have to head down to the front desk and explain his situation to them. He wasn't too fussed with somebody going through his wallet looking for money, as being a student with no job he didn’t carry much of that around with him, but it would be an inconvenience to get his various cards reprinted if someone decided to make off with the entire thing.

Just then, he heard the doors to the ice rink opening, and the skinny boy he had seen yesterday walked in.

"Oi! You there. Over here," Albus shouted and waved to get his attention.

Blondie jumped, startled, before looking around as if to confirm Albus was definitely beckoning to him. After checking he was indeed the only other person in the vicinity, he walked tentatively over to Albus, who was looking sheepish himself.

"Uh, hi," Albus smiled, deciding he could at least attempt to salvage a good first impression, "I've sort of locked myself out, do you think you could let me in? Please?"

Blondie reached into his pocket and took out his own ID card before placing it on the scanner, which beeped as the door unlocked. Albus could just about make out the name 'Scorpius' printed on the card along with his picture.

"Thank you so much... Scorpius, is it?", Albus beamed, and stuck out his hand. "I'm Albus, I'm on the ice hockey team here."

Scorpius took Albus' hand in his own and shook it. "It's nice to meet you, Albus."

The whole exchange felt weirdly formal to Albus, who couldn't help but notice Scorpius seemed very polite and proper. Well, that was the second thing Albus noticed about Scorpius, anyway. The first thing he thought when he saw Scorpius up close was _Ohmygod he's so pretty_.

It's not that Albus wasn't used to seeing good looking guys around, hell, being on a university sports team meant seeing fit guys with their shirts off coming out of the shower was a daily occurrence, but Scorpius was something else entirely. He practically seemed to radiate ethereal beauty. His gorgeous platinum blond hair looked so soft that Albus wanted to reach out and touch it, and even under the cheap fluorescent lighting of the rink it seemed to shine. His skin was pale, contrasting his pretty pink lips, the bottom of which was chapped slightly from where he’d been biting it. His nose and jaw were sharp, yet his eyes were big and round, and it was as though someone had taken all the features of every guy Albus had ever fantasised about and put them into one person.

Realising he had been staring a little longer than would be considered socially acceptable, he quickly let go of Scorpius’ hand and headed into the locker room, holding the door open for the other boy. Luckily, no one had taken his wallet, which was still in his locker where he had left it.

“Thanks again,” Albus said, turning to Scorpius.

“It’s no problem,” Scorpius smiled back at him, and Albus couldn’t tell whether it was a sincere smile or a we’re-done-here-now-please-go-away kind of smile. Either way, he found it impossibly cute because _dear lord those dimples were adorable_.

Albus could feel himself starting to blush at the thought of Scorpius’ dimples, and in a moment of gay panic blurted out the first thing that came into his head.

“You’re a figure skater, right? I saw you practising yesterday. You’re really good.”

“You were watching me?” Scorpius asked, bemused, which flustered Albus even further.

“Ah- no, not in a creepy way, I just happened to be leaving practice when I saw you…” Albus trailed off, realising he was probably digging his own grave.

Scorpius giggled – _giggled_ – and put his hand on Albus’ arm. “Relax, I was only joking.”

“Oh, right. Well, you were really fast on the ice. We could use someone like you on the hockey team you know.”

Scorpius shook his head, “I wouldn’t last two minutes in a game of hockey. I’d be squished.”

“Hey, we’re not _that_ rough. I’ve been playing for years and I still have a few of my own teeth left,” Albus joked, which made Scorpius let out the most adorable laugh, “I’m kidding, I’m kidding, I’ve never lost a tooth playing hockey and I don’t plan on it.”

“That’s good, you have a nice smile, I wouldn’t want you to ruin it,” Scorpius said, almost nonchalantly, yet it was enough to make Albus momentarily forget how to breathe.

Was Scorpius _flirting_ with him? Or was he just being friendly? It was probably the latter, but he could still feel the back of his neck and the tips of his ears flush with heat, and decided it was probably his brain trying to tell him to get out of there before he said something embarrassing and made a fool of himself in front of Scorpius.

“Anyway, I’ll leave you to get changed, your coach is probably waiting for you,” Albus said, now hyper aware of Scorpius’ eyes following him across the room, “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye,” was all that Scorpius said as Albus left the locker room.

* * *

The next day, Albus spent most of his time playing hockey thinking about the boy he had met the day before. Just as he was leaving the changing room after practice, he spotted a familiar blond head on one of the benches outside.

“Hey, Scorpius,” Albus made his way over to him. “You’re here early today.”

“Huh, you actually remembered my name?” Scorpius teased, although he did look a tiny bit shocked Albus would come up and start talking to him willingly.

“’Course I did, we literally spoke yesterday. And besides, Scorpius is such a unique name, I wouldn’t forget it.”

Scorpius shrugged. “Don’t get me started on my name, my family have a thing for naming their kids after constellations but I kind of hate it.”

“I sort of know how you feel about unusual names. My parents called me Albus, although most people just call me Al.”

“See, that’s alright, At least you get a short nickname. Scorpius is just unwieldy.”

“If you want a nickname, I can call you Scorp.”

Scorpius raised an eyebrow. He looked sceptical.

“Scorp. Scorp, Scorp, Scorp,” Albus repeated playfully. “I like it, it’s kind of cute,” he grinned, eyes scanning Scorpius’ face to search for a reaction to being called cute. If it bothered him, he didn’t show it at least.

“Well, I’m glad I’ve met at least one other person who knows what it’s like to have an awkward name,” Scorpius smiled, before changing the subject. “How was hockey practice?”

“Ugh, so long. I’m aching in places I didn’t even know I had,” Albus replied.

“I know how you feel. I’ve had classes all day so I’m going to be so tired later,” Scorpius looked sullen.

“Yeah, but at least you aren’t playing a full contact sport,” Albus teased cheekily.

Scorpius grinned. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re got all of that gear to protect you, meanwhile I have to go out in just a thin shirt.”

“Hey, ‘all that gear’ is heavy, you know,” Albus retorted.

“Yeah but you’re so muscular,” Scorpius poked Albus’ bicep with his index finger, “and I’m thin as a rake, so the cold gets to me easily,” Scorpius pouted, and Albus was pretty sure his heart skipped a beat when he felt Scorpius’ soft touch on his arm. Before he could reply, however, Finn and Noah came up behind him.

“You walking home with us today, Al?”

“Yeah, alright then,” he said, and turned to bid farewell to Scorpius. “I’ll see you same time tomorrow, I guess,” Albus smiled coyly. “Have fun with your skating.”

“I’ll try,” said Scorpius, waving them goodbye.

Albus left the ice rink with the guys, and as soon as they were out of earshot of Scorpius, the other two turned to him with matching smirks on their faces.

“What was that about?” Noah asked.

“What?” Albus tried to play innocent.

“You definitely fancy that guy,” Finn stated.

“N-no I don’t. I was just being friendly.”

“Nah, it’s super obvious. You were smiling and blushing and everything,” Finn replied.

“Yeah, you’re usually Mr. Grumpypants around strangers,” Noah added.

Albus couldn’t think of anything to come back with. Was he really that transparent?

“If it’s any consolation, he totally likes you back,” said Noah, encouragingly.

“What? What makes you say that,” Albus shot back quickly, sounding a lot more eager than he intended.

“Come on, Al. He was all like,” Noah grabbed onto Albus’ arm and did an incredibly exaggerated impression of Scorpius, “ _Oh Al, you’re so handsome and muscly_. He was totally flirting.”

“He does not sound like that,” Albus stammered, blushing once more.

“You clearly like him. Why don’t you just ask him out?” Finn questioned.

“You really think that’s a good idea?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t have to be anything serious. He obviously goes to Uni here, next time you see him just ask what time he finishes class so you can take him out for coffee,” said Noah.

Albus pondered for a moment, before deciding that wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world, and fortunately, they didn’t bring up the subject for the rest of the walk home.

* * *

Upon getting back to his apartment, Albus headed straight into his room and jumped onto his bed, burying his face into his pillow. _What was that about?_ he asked himself rhetorically. He’d never lost his cool like that before, yet here he was blushing until he was as red as a postbox over a boy he’d only met this week. It wasn’t that he wasn’t used to being flirted with, lots of girls at the parties the team had dragged him to had gotten flirty with him, only for Albus to let them down with an ‘I’m flattered, but gay.’ Even some guys had tried to get close him, although none of them were Albus’ type.

Taking his phone out of his pocket, he went to the University’s website and found the Sports page. Scrolling down and looking for any mention of skating, he found nothing of interest. There were a few pictures of Albus’ hockey team from last semester, but nothing to do with figure skating. He tried typing various terms into the search bar, until eventually he came across a link to a post from a year ago about some kind of competition.

Opening it in a new tab Albus was surprised to find a picture of none other than Scorpius himself, who had apparently won second place in a men’s figure skating tournament. Albus didn’t pretend to know the first thing about how these events were judged, but he was fascinated by the header image, which was a large, high-resolution still of Scorpius halfway through his routine. Albus tried to repress the guilt he felt as he opened the image in fullscreen because this was certainly not something you would do to someone you had strictly platonic feelings towards.

If Albus though Scorpius was pretty in his casual clothes, Scorpius fully dressed up looked kind of…. hot? His wavy blond hair was perfectly styled so that even in motion not a single strand looked remotely out of place, and he was even wearing makeup that helped accentuate his cheekbones even more (not that he needed it, Albus was definitely feeling some cheekbone envy). His outfit was a pair of simple black trousers and a silvery top that managed to cling so tightly to his torso that it gave Albus butterflies in his stomach because Scorpius was so perfectly his type that it almost hurt.

Scrolling down the page a little, skipping over the pictures of the other competitors, Albus found another picture of Scorpius that looked like it was taken not long after he was awarded his medal. This one contrasted the earlier photograph, as Scorpius’ look of intense concentration was replaced with a huge smile as he held up his medal. Even the way his eyes narrowed into crescents as he smiled was cute, Albus thought.

Just then, something else caught Albus’ eye. There, pinned to Scorpius’ top in the picture, was a little Pride flag. He zoomed in, and it was unmistakably the same rainbow. Albus released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Did that mean Scorpius was gay? There was now a distinct possibility, no matter how vanishingly small, that he really was flirting with Albus earlier. The thought made him throw his phone onto the mattress in frustration. It was official, he had developed a huge crush on someone he’d known for less than a week. Albus sighed, covering his eyes with his hands. He’d never felt like this before.

He picked up his phone and opened the front camera. Next to someone as serenely beautiful as Scorpius he practically felt like a potato that a small child had crudely drawn a face on.

Okay, maybe not quite that drastic, but he was still quite plain looking, he mused to himself, running a hand through his jet-black hair. If he was going to ask Scorpius out as Noah had suggested, he should at least put some effort into his appearance. Maybe he should talk to Teddy for advice, who, despite his flaws, was actually quite fashionable, sporting a different neon-coloured hairstyle every month.

Untangling himself from his bedsheets, Albus wandered over to Teddy’s door and knocked.

“Come in.”

“I hope you have clothes on this time,” Albus said as he opened the door.

“There was _one time_ I forgot to get dressed and you never let me forget about it,” Teddy cried. Luckily, he did indeed have all of his clothes on today and was busy working on something on his laptop.

“An Adult man shouldn’t _need_ reminding to get dressed,” Albus retorted, “that poor postman got the fright of his life when you opened the door. He wouldn’t give us our mail for a month.” They had been having this argument at least once a week since the nude post incident last year. “Anyway, I didn’t come to rant about your bad habits-”

“That makes a change,” Teddy muttered under his breath.

“-there aren’t enough hours in the day for that. I actually want your serious advice about something.”

“You know you can talk to me about anything,” Teddy said, putting on his best 'wise older sibling' voice.

Albus deliberated, as though unsure how to phrase his question, before deciding to just go for it.

“How do I make myself look hot for someone I like?”

Teddy’s eyes widened, as whatever he had been expecting Albus to say, it wasn’t that. “Oh thank God, I thought that was going to be something a lot worse,” he laughed, before giving Albus a sly look and reaching over to ruffle his hair. “You’re fine as you are, just be yourself and I’m sure everyone will like you.”

“Ugh, you sound like Mum when you say that.”

“Albus, you’re young, and you’re cute, and you’re fit. You could get any guy you wanted if you just had a bit of confidence in yourself.” Teddy closed his laptop, giving Albus his full attention. “Besides, you have no idea how lucky you are. If I had a body like yours when I was in Uni I’d be drowning in-”

He was interrupted by a brotherly kick in the shin from Albus. “I swear if you start talking about your sexual exploits again I’m going to throw up.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll save it for another time. At least I’m not going to be a virgin for life like you-” was all that Teddy managed to say before Albus picked a pillow up from his bed and threw it at his face.

“Ouch. Okay, I deserved that.”

“I don’t even know why I ask you for advice sometimes.”

“Because I’m your dear older godbrother and you love me very much.”

“I prefer the term ‘Tolerate’.”

Teddy glossed over Albus’ comment, “So then, who’s the lucky guy that’s got even the frigid Albus’ attention?”

“Uh… Nobody,” Albus very transparently lied.

“Come on Al, I’ve known you since you were little, you’re a terrible liar.”

“Just… someone I met at training.”

“Is it Matthew from your team? I remember you said he was Bi but I didn’t think he was your type.”

Albus made gagging noises and mimed being sick. “Ew, I don’t fancy Matt. He chews with his mouth open and unironically watches Minecraft let’s plays. It’s someone you don’t know,” Albus emphasised the last three words in particular, “and I aim to keep it that way.”

“Oof, that was harsh. I’ll have you know I make a great wingman.”

“No, I would rather he think I live a normal life rather than spend my time babysitting my older godbrother who really should learn to clean his room by himself,” Albus gestured to Teddy’s floor, which at this point was more old sweet wrappers and dirty underwear than floor.

“Okay, point taken. But still, what bought this on? The Albus I know usually isn’t this vain. Are you worried your boyfriend-to-be is more handsome than you?”

“To be fair, he’s way out of my league. I need all the help I can get.” Albus murmured.

Teddy simply rolled his eyes, “You’re so dramatic, Al. You’re the best looking guy I know and _I’ve_ looked in a mirror-” Albus snorted at his terrible joke “-I’m being serious when I tell you just be yourself.”

“I guess. I was hoping you would have some tips or something, you know, like how to do my hair. I wanted to stand out a bit to get this guy’s attention, and I though I would ask you since you always look stylish.”

Teddy smiled at Albus, “Tell you what, if you ask this mystery guy out on a date I’ll help you pick out some clothes that aren’t black or grey hoodies.”

“What’s wrong with my hoodies?” Albus asked, to which Teddy cocked an eyebrow.

“If you want to go out on a date, you don’t want to look like some who considers the pinnacle of fashion to be the discount rack at a Sports Direct.”

“Am I really that unfashionable? Albus buried his face into his hands. “Ugh, I’m terrible at being gay, I though we were meant to know this stuff.”

Teddy chuckled, amused at Albus’ self-deprecating antics. “Come on, Al, I was exaggerating, you’re not that bad.”

* * *

Training the next day passed uneventfully, and Albus secretly spent the whole time looking forward to seeing Scorpius again. It wasn’t until he had showered and was changing into clean clothes that he heard Noah shouting him from the other side of the locker room.

“Hey Al, your boyfriend’s waiting for you outside.”

“He- He’s not my-” Albus stuttered, suddenly embarrassed by the nickname they had given Scorpius.

“Don’t worry, I think we can help you out here,” Noah grinned and motioned for Finn to follow him.

“What are you doing?” Albus asked, suddenly worried. Whenever he had that look in his eye it could only mean trouble. Before he could stop them, however, they had already left the locker room.

“Geez, Albus sure is a great guy isn’t he?” Noah half-shouted with an unnaturally loud voice (so that it was obvious to Scorpius he wanted him to overhear their conversation).

“Yeah, he sure is,” Finn joined in, having realised Noah’s plan.

“He’s always helping others, and he’s so funny too.”

“I heard he can bench press 200 kilos.”

“Plus he nursed all those all sick puppies back to health.”

“Remember the time he single-handedly saved an orphanage from burning down?”

“...Whilst working on his PhD in quantum physics."

“And they originally offered him the job as Prime Minister but he turned it down because he’s too humble.”

Albus was absolutely mortified. Noah and Finn had taken it upon themselves to make him look good in front of Scorpius, except instead of actually doing that, they were very obviously making up progressively more untrue stories.

“Plus, did you see him in the locker room? He’s got a massive d-”

Before he could say anything else, Albus grabbed Noah by his collar and pulled him away from Scorpius.

“Ow, what was that for?” Noah asked, feigning innocence.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Relax, we’re just being your wingmen. Trying to big you up in front of pretty boy,” Noah winked at him.

“No you weren’t, you were just taking the piss,” Albus grumbled.

Noah just shrugged, “Eh, he seemed to be enjoying it. He was laughing and everything.”

Albus glanced over at Scorpius for the first time, who did look somewhat amused. He just sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Just- don’t do anything stupid in front of him again, okay?”

Albus left the other two in a huff and went over to Scorpius, who was struggling to keep a straight face.

“Do I even want to know what that was about?” Scorpius asked.

Albus just shook his head and took a seat on the bench next to him. “Honestly, you really don’t. Just promise you’ll never mention it again.”

“I can’t promise that,” Scorpius giggled, “You have some interesting friends.”

“Sometimes I wonder why I hang around with them,” Albus complained. He looked over at Scorpius, who was looking back at him with those big grey eyes. Neither one of them said anything for a moment, before Albus broke the silence.

“Listen…” Albus began, plucking up courage he didn’t know he had. “Err… I was going to ask, are you busy tomorrow?”

“I have stuff until one but I have nothing after until training. Why’d you ask?” Scorpius said, in a tone that Albus couldn't read.

I was wondering if you wanted to maybe hang out? You know, some place other than here,” Albus gestured to the ice rink. “I’ll treat you to a coffee, if you want.”

Scorpius pondered for a moment, biting his bottom lip. “That sounds nice. I finish in the North lecture theatre at one. I can meet you there, if you like?”

“Uhm, yeah, I’d like that,” Albus said, and he couldn’t help but notice this time Scorpius’ rosy cheeks had turned a slightly darker shade of pink. “Right, well, I should go,” he said, suddenly feeling very awkward, “better make sure I picked up my wallet this time,” he laughed nervously.

“See you tomorrow,” was all that Scorpius replied.

* * *

Albus was fretting over his coffee date with Scorpius. Teddy had helped him pick out a semi-presentable outfit, a short sleeved shirt and black jeans, and he was currently waiting for Scorpius outside of his lecture. He tried to sit down, but ended up being unable to sit still so had resorted to standing around awkwardly, checking the time every two minutes.

At exactly one o’clock, people started steadily trickling out of the room, and Albus could see Scorpius’ distinctive blond hair through the cluster of people. As the crowd thinned, Scorpius approached him with a beam on his face.

“Hey,” Scorpius greeted, pushing a strand of that perfect blond hair out of his face. “You look nice today,” he complimented.

“Thanks,” Albus replied, now slightly self-conscious. “You look good, too. But then again, you always do,” he added, in what he hoped was his most charming voice.

“Flattery gets you nowhere,” Scorpius teased bashfully, to which Albus just smiled back.

“Come on, I promised I would treat you to a coffee,” Albus said, leading Scorpius out of the building and to the little cafe down the road he usually frequented.

Albus liked it at the cafe because it was out of the way and never got too loud, so it was a nice place to come and study. It had a very homely feel, with no two furniture items in the entire place seeming to match. Upon opening the door and being greeted with the rich, strong smell of coffee, Albus headed to the counter and turned to Scorpius. “What do you want?”

“You don’t have feel pressured into buying something for me, I can pay myself,” Scorpius assured him, but Albus was having none of it.

“I said it was my treat, pick anything you like.”

Scorpius paused for a moment, before deciding Albus probably wouldn't relent, and glanced over at the menu on the wall. “I’ll just have a hot chocolate, then.”

“Cool. Why don’t you grab us a seat,” he asked Scorpius, who disappeared to find a table while he took their order at the counter.

A few minutes later, Albus had their drinks and made his way over to where Scorpius was sitting. He couldn’t help but notice he had chosen a cosy looking sofa in the corner furthest away from the door.

Setting their drinks down on the coffee table in front of them, Albus watched, amused, as Scorpius grabbed his drink and, unexpectedly, started stirring in even more sugar.

“Uh, Scorp… Isn’t there enough sugar in that already?”

“I have a bit of a sweet tooth” Scorpius replied, opening another packet of sugar, and Albus just raised one eyebrow incredulously.

“Okay, a _really_ sweet tooth,” Scorpius said, tasting his drink to make sure it was how he liked it, before to meet Albus’ gaze. “Don’t judge me for it,” he seemed a bit embarrassed by his childish drinking habits, but Albus just found it cute.

“No judgement, I just think it’s kind of funny. I thought you would be more of an extra strong black coffee kind of person,” Albus laughed.

“Only around exam time,” Scorpius joked, “I don’t think I would be a true student if I didn’t stay up the night before I had an assignment due trying to finish it.”

“You know, I never actually asked you what course you’re on,” Albus asked.

“Oh, I’m studying Graphic Design. I’ve always liked drawing and illustrating things since I was little, so it seemed like a good fit for me,” he shrugged, “but I don’t really know what I want to do once I graduate,” Scorpius mused. “What about you?”

“I’m in Computer Science,” Albus replied, which seemed to surprise Scorpius.

“Woah, I thought that course was supposed to be really hard.”

“Oi,” Albus replied, nudging Scorpius’ shoulder playfully, “Why can’t I be smart?”

“No, no I didn’t mean it like that,” Scorpius covered his face in embarrassment. “I didn’t mean you weren’t clever, I just though since I see you around the gym a lot you would be studying Sports Science or something.”

Albus chuckled, “Most people seem to think that when they see me. I guess we have a reputation for being nerdy shut ins,” he paused for a moment, thinking. “Actually, I _am_ a nerdy shut in, really. Just one that happens to play a sport sometimes,” he added, which Scorpius found funny. “Most of the time when I’m not playing hockey I spend sat in front of my laptop.”

“Do you live by yourself?” Scorpius asked, curious.

“No, I live with my godbrother. He works most days so I get at least some peace and quiet during the daytime. What about you? Do you live on campus?”

Scorpius shook his head, “No, I live with my Dad at home.”

“I don’t think I would like to be still living with my parents. Don’t get me wrong, I love them but it does get a bit hectic when you have a big family. I’m glad I have my own space now.”

Scorpius looked thoughtful for a moment, as though he was reminiscing. “My Dad is wonderful, he’s probably my biggest supporter,” he confessed. “He comes with me every time I compete and he’s always cheering my name the loudest.”

“That’s really sweet,” Albus said, fascinated with Scorpius’ story.

“It was my Mum who originally got me into skating, though. She was really good, and she used to take me when we were little. Sometimes I think that’s why my Dad is so supportive of my skating, because it reminds him of her…”

Their eyes met for the first time, neither one of them could look away from the other as Scorpius continued his story.

“But one day she got sick, Albus. She was sick and she was in hospital for a long time, and then- then one day she passed away.” Scorpius’ big grey eyes started to gloss over with tears. “Now every time I’m on the ice I think about her. I suppose it helps to keep her memory alive…” he drifted off, saying nothing.

Albus was a little heartbroken by Scorpius’ story, and almost without thinking, pulled him into a hug.

Scorpius whimpered as he wiped his eyes on Albus’ shoulder. “I’m sorry. I don’t usually start crying like this-”

“Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to explain anything to me,” Albus comforted him. Neither one of them said anything for a while, and Scorpius kept his face buried in Albus’ neck.

Once Albus felt Scorpius’ soft breaths return to an even pace, he pulled away, and Scorpius wiped his eyes on a napkin. It was fortunate there weren’t many people around, so no one was paying them much attention.

“Sorry, I’m probably embarrassing you,” Scorpius apologised, “I must look ridiculous.”

Even though both his eyes and cheeks were slightly red and puffy, Albus still thought Scorpius was one of the most beautiful people he’d ever met. It was a crime, really, to be able to look that good despite crying.

“No, you look fine. Better than fine, actually. You’re really handsome,” Albus confessed, cupping Scorpius’ face with his hand, brushing a rogue tear away with his thumb.

They shared a coy smile together, content with staring into each other’s eyes, when the Universe seemed to decide it really, _really_ didn’t want to let him have a single happy moment, as just then, Albus hit his elbow against his coffee mug, knocking it over and spilling it on himself, ruining the most romantic moment he’d ever had in his life in the process.

“Oh shit,” he exclaimed, pulling away from Scorpius.

“Are you okay?” Scorpius asked, picking up the mug, which thankfully hadn't shattered.

“It’s really hot,” Albus yelped, feeling the coffee seeping into the material of his shirt and starting to burn against his skin. Without thinking, he pulled his shirt off and used it to wipe himself down.

“That’s slightly better,” Albus sighed with relief, turning back to Scorpius, who was red as a beetroot. “What?” he asked, before it clicked exactly why Scorpius was blushing. “Oh, right. No shirt. Hold on, I have a spare one in my bag,” Albus said, rifling through his bag and pulling out his gym top.

“There,” Albus said, putting on his new top. “Now we’ve both embarrassed ourself in public,” he quipped, which made Scorpius giggle.

Strangely, spilling hot coffee down himself seemed to be a good icebreaker, as from then on, he and Scorpius were a lot more comfortable with each other. They talked for what felt like hours about everything and nothing, from classes, to skating, to family, and Albus didn’t think he’d ever met anyone he’d got on so well with before.

When Albus looked at his phone and realised he had to leave for practice soon, he was a bit disappointed, wanting to stay with Scorpius for longer.

“It’s almost time for me to go,” he told Scorpius, who looked a bit disappointed himself. “I really enjoyed today, though. Well, other than the part were I nearly scalded myself,” he laughed awkwardly.

Scorpius nodded in agreement. “Next time, we’ll go somewhere there’s no chance of that happening.”

“Next time?” Albus looked up in curiosity.

“Yeah… Unless you don’t want to- I’m sorry, I thought…”

“No, I definitely do want to go out with you again,” Albus interrupted, before Scorpius got the wrong impression. “Here, give me your number and we can plan for it,“ he pulled his phone out of his pocket, pressing ‘Add New Contact’ and giving it to Scorpius, who typed in his number, and sent himself a text so that he could get Albus’.

“Thanks,” said Scorpius after saving Albus’ number. “I know you said you have practice now, but do you think,” Scorpius hesitated, “maybe I could come and and watch you play? Only if it’s not too much trouble, of course,” he asked.

Albus, though, was delighted Scorpius wanted to come and watch him. “Of course you can, you don’t have to ask.”

After leaving the cafe, Albus slung his gym bag over his shoulder and started in the direction of the sports centre when he felt a tug on his hand. Looking down, he saw Scorpius was trying to intertwine their fingers with a blush on his face. Realising what he was trying to do, Albus took Scorpius’ hand in his own and gave it a squeeze. On the outside, he had a face of calm and collected confidence, but internally he was having a meltdown. He was actually holding the hand of a cute boy in public. If his past self from a week ago could have seen him down he wouldn’t have believed it was happening.

They walked in comfortable silence together until they reached the ice rink, where Albus bid Scorpius goodbye as he went to get changed and join the rest of the team.

* * *

Scorpius didn’t know the first thing about hockey, but the entire time he was watching them play he could only keep eyes on Albus, who looked up at him every few minutes. At the end of the session, the other guys made their way back to the locker room whilst Albus walked over to Scorpius.

“So, what do you think of hockey?” he asked, eager to hear Scorpius’ opinion.

“You were really good… I think? I’m not to sure on the rules. It does get a bit aggressive though when you check each other, but you make it look effortless,” Scorpius rambled, which made Albus grin.

“Well it’ll be your turn to impress me next,” Albus said, to Scorpius’ confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“You got to watch me play, now I’m gonna stay and watch you skate.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to feel pressured to stay just because I did.”

“But what if I want to?” Albus teased.

After the hockey team vacated the locker room, Scorpius went to get himself ready, before meeting his trainer on the other side of the rink.

Settling in and watching Scorpius do some warmup exercises, Albus couldn’t help but notice his observations about Scorpius the other day were correct. His moments across the ice were elegant and graceful, and it was clear even to Albus’ novice eyes he was incredibly talented.

As the session progressed, Scorpius started practising a routine he had been working on, and Albus was blown away by how good he was. His eyes were glued on Scorpius the entire time, and he didn’t even notice how quickly the time seemed to pass by. It was only when he saw Scorpius saying goodbye to his trainer did he realise that the session was over.

Scorpius walked over to where Albus was sat, removing his skates when he stepped off the ice, and Albus beamed up at him with pride.

“You were amazing, Scorp. Seriously, you’ll have to teach me a thing or two,” he nudged Scorpius’ arm playfully, who rubbed his arm in embarrassment.

“Oh, I’m not that good, really. I just practice a lot.”

“Come on, don’t be so humble, you’re really talented,” Albus ruffled Scorpius’ hair with his free hand.

“Hey,” Scorpius giggled, grabbing his head, “Don’t mess up my hair,”

“You’re about to get a shower, it was going to get messed up anyway.”

They both made their way to the changing room, and there was an slight air of awkwardness between them. Although Albus was used to getting changed in front of the team, it was sudden very different when you were with the boy you were interested in. Luckily, the showers were in cubicles and not open plan, so they still had a bit of modesty, but they had to at least take their clothes off next to each other.

Deciding Scorpius had already seen him with his shirt off once today, he stripped to his underwear and headed into one of the showers with his towel and body wash, and he heard Scorpius follow not long after him.

Something Albus didn’t think he would find out about Scorpius today was that he hums to himself in the shower. He didn’t know if Scorpius even realised he was doing it or that Albus could hear him, but either way he didn’t say anything, as listening to Scorpius’ gentle voice fill the room was oddly relaxing.

Finishing his shower, he had just dried his hair off with his towel and changed into a clean pair of boxers and jeans when Scorpius stepped out of his cubicle and made his way over to the lockers, towel wrapped tightly around his waist.

Albus forgot what he was doing for a moment, eyes fixated on Scorpius’ form. It’s not that he intended to stare, but he was enchanted by what he saw. Scorpius’ torso was as pale as the rest of him, and his skin was smooth without a single blemish. He was skinny in a way that wouldn’t make most people look twice, but to Albus, he was looking at the most gorgeous person he’d ever seen.

He glanced up at Scorpius’ face, who was staring back at Albus with the same expression, and Albus caught Scorpius’ eyes flick down to his own torso and back up again.

They said nothing to each other, both so desperate to break the tension that was between them but neither one brave enough to do anything, and Albus couldn’t help but notice how close Scorpius’ face was to his, close enough that he could almost feel Scorpius’ breath on his lips. He moved in further, reducing the gap between them agonisingly slowly, yet Scorpius’ didn’t flinch or move away.

The first contact was gentle, almost impossibly so. Scorpius’ lips were soft and tender against his own, and Albus couldn’t help bringing his hands up to Scorpius’ waist and pulling him closer.

After a few seconds, he pulled away slightly, which elicited a disappointed moan from Scorpius.

“Uhm, sorry,” he whispered, sheepish, “I should have asked before I kissed you.”

“It’s okay,” Scorpius replied coyly, “I quite liked it.”

“In that case, can I kiss you again?” Albus asked softly, but instead of answering, Scorpius just smiled and brought their lips together a second time.

This kiss was longer than the first, as well as deeper. Albus felt his eyes gently flutter shut as he focused on the taste of Scorpius’ lips against his own, the smell of his shampoo, and the feeling of his soft skin gently pressed against his own body.

Albus never wanted this moment to end, but eventually, they had to separate for air.

“That was great,” Scorpius breathed softly, letting go of Albus.

“Yeah,” he agreed, “and as much as I’d like to do it again, I think we should probably get changed before the sports centre closes for the evening,” Albus said, finally letting go of Scorpius’ waist.

“Right,” Scorpius blushed, before scrambling to get changed.

Once they were both fully dressed, Albus turned to Scorpius. “You know, I never thought I’d have my first kiss in a locker room,” he contemplated.

“Me neither.”

Albus once again took Scorpius’ hand in his own. “I was wondering,” he began, “I mean, it’s probably a bit early, but… would you consider being my boyfriend? You don’t have to say yes if you don’t want to…” Albus asked, nervously, and Scorpius just smiled as he threw his hands around Albus’ neck.

“Yes, of course I would,” Scorpius said as he brought Albus in for a hug, which Albus gladly returned.

* * *

“How did your date go?” was the first thing Teddy asked him when he came through the door that evening.

“Uhhh,” Albus scratched the back of his head, “I suppose technically speaking, it was a disaster. He broke down crying and then I spilled most of my drink down myself.”

Teddy just shook his head in disbelief, “Oh Albus, I had such high hopes for you.”

“It went pretty well besides that though. We even kissed and he said he’d be my boyfriend,” Albus added.

Teddy looked confused, struggling to believe those stories were connected, before deciding it was best not to think about it. “You know what, Al. I don’t want to know. Just so long as you’re happy.”

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what the opposite of a slow burn is but this fic is definitely it lmao they get together after one (1) date.


End file.
